UK Politics

Rishi Sunak is putting the finishing touches on a PR-led leadership campaign after telling allies he believes Partygate could be “unsurvivable” for Boris Johnson, The Independent has learnt.The chancellor is understood to have built a draft version of a campaign website, taking inspiration from his weekly No 11 newsletter, and developed a marketing strategy.He and his close circle are also believed to have had informal conversations with former No 10 staffers and MPs about the recent scrutiny of Downing Street, in order to gauge his chance of winning a leadership contest, sources said.The imminent publication of the Sue Gray report into parties at No 10 is expected to have less impact after the Metropolitan Police asked that it contain “minimal references” to the parties they are investigating, for fear that its release could prejudice their own criminal investigation. Police involvement may put the brakes on Mr Sunak’s plans, said a source, though they added that “there’s no question that Rishi and his team have got everything in place”. They noted that there is a clear communications plan, and that copy for a website has been drafted and is ready to set live.Cass Horowitz, a special adviser to Mr Sunak, is widely credited with building the chancellor’s online brand, through canny use of social media, building up his Instagram following, and overseeing his newsletter.A former No 10 staffer told The Independent that Mr Horowitz was regarded as a “boy genius” by many in the Conservative Party, having revamped its use of social media before moving to work for Mr Sunak. “He’s built a data dashboard from the newsletter. Every click and share will be informing the wider leadership campaign. He’s got form on watching for any online grassroot sentiment to tap into,” they said.The No 11 newsletter takes an informal, upbeat tone. It features “uplifting” statistics in “Stats Corner” – a choice cut of the official releases from the past week that paint Mr Sunak’s efforts in the best possible light.The ex-staffer said that a Twitter account called “Ready for Rishi” (@ForRishi) – which describes itself as “grass-roots” – set hares running at No 10 when it first appeared in September 2020. Its latest tweet, posted on 27 January and pinned to the top of its profile, reads: “Time for a leader who doesn’t break the rules #readyforrishi”.“If I were Cass, I’d be tapping that sentiment,” said the former staffer. In recent conversations, Mr Sunak is understood to have suggested that Partygate would ultimately prove “unsurvivable” for the prime minister, sources claim.One discussion is said to have focused on the idea that it would not be possible for Mr Johnson to continue in the long term, as the scandal had permanently damaged his brand.But a source close to Mr Sunak said that these claims, along with those relating to the chancellor having prepared a leadership campaign, were “totally false”.Attention has been drawn to Mr Sunak’s political posturing in recent weeks, which has not gone unnoticed in Downing Street, sources said.This includes his absence during PMQs when Mr Johnson first apologised for attending the May 2020 party in No 10, and the amount of time it took for Mr Sunak to publicly back the PM on Twitter, eventually delivering what was considered by some to be a lukewarm display of support.As the wait for Ms Gray’s report drags on, Tory MPs said conversations in the corridors and tearooms at Westminster are increasingly revolving around the identity of Mr Johnson’s successor.One senior Tory MP, who said they were backing the prime minister, said they were “surprised” that foreign secretary Liz Truss had attracted more criticism for photo ops than Mr Sunak had for the use of his personal branding in regard to policies such as Eat Out to Help Out.Alongside Mr Sunak and Ms Truss, speculation has revolved around possible bids by levelling up secretary Michael Gove, former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, and education secretary Nadhim Zahawi.Other possible contenders being discussed include Mark Harper, whose role as the chair of the Covid Recovery Group has made him a figurehead for lockdown-sceptic MPs, and Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Tugendhat, who may win the backing of “One Nation” MPs linked to the more liberal Tory Reform Group.One MP told The Independent that preferences for the succession were the topic of conversation “whenever two or three are gathered together”. More

A furious public will not accept a “cover-up” of the Partygate scandal, a senior Tory MP is warning – amid a growing belief that crucial parts of Sue Gray’s inquiry will never be revealed.A heavily-redacted draft of the civil servant’s report will be released within days, but with references to parties that the police are investigating stripped out after the Met demanded it.There are no plans to publish an unredacted version, once the police have finished their investigation, which means the most serious aspects may never see the light of day.Tobias Ellwood, the Tory chair of the Commons defence committee, said such an outcome would not satisfy the “deluge of fury” about the lockdown-busting gatherings in No 10, nor Conservative MPs.“We must not forget this is all happening under the gaze of the nation and they’re looking for evidence that we are going to change, that we want to rebuild trust, that we’re fit to govern,” he said.“So this discussion, this talk, this suggestion, that somehow the Sue Gray report – which we’ve waited for for so long – might be redacted, or somehow watered down, will not go down well with colleagues.“There remains a deluge of fury with the British public, appalled by what’s happened, and they want to see that we’re on the road to change – that the command, the discipline, the cultural changes, will actually be introduced to No 10.”There must not be “any form of cover up”, but “genuine reform that can actually take our country forward”, Mr Ellwood told Sky News.Late on Friday, the tussle over whether Ms Gray’s report would be shelved altogether, or handed over in redacted form, was settled in favour of the latter.The extraordinary twist came after the Met police’s bombshell request for “minimal references” to parties it is investigating – thought to be about eight of the 17 documented gatherings.The demand triggered a torrent of criticism from legal experts because any offences committed will not be heard by a jury, which means they are not sub-judice.No 10 has pledged to release whatever findings it receives from Ms Gray, as early as Monday, but said the Met should be given “time and space” to complete “its independent work”.A partial report – without evidence about the most serious allegations – will give Mr Johnson crucial breathing space, in his battle for survival.Tory MPs who are wavering over whether to submit demands for a no-confidence vote in his leadership, while they “waited for Sue Gray”, are likely to continue to sit on their hands.Some report that the anger of their constituents is lessening – but No 10 is at the mercy of further revelations of parties, which Dominic Cummings has said will come. More

The minister who quit dramatically over the Rishi Sunak’s failure to tackle massive fraud in Covid business loan schemes has warned he has no plan to recover the lost billions.Theodore Agnew stepped up his criticism – after the chancellor denied he had written up £4.3bn of taxpayer’s money – saying: “Not a zippo have we heard about how he will do it.”Lord Agnew’s despatch box resignation has fuelled criticism that Mr Sunak has written off the money, which is “now in the hand of criminals and gangs”, Labour said.He astonished fellow peers by accusing the Treasury of “arrogance, indolence and ignorance”, branding oversight of the loans “nothing less than woeful”.In response, Mr Sunak defended his approach, tweeting: “I’m not ignoring it, and I’m definitely not ‘writing it off.“Clearly criminals have sought to exploit our support schemes. We’re going to do everything we can to get that money back and go after those who took advantage of the pandemic.”In an interview with The Times, Lord Agnew said he was “nearly sick” ahead of announcing his resignation, but added: “I didn’t want to blow my top, but I was very angry.”“The failure of government to tackle fraud felt so egregious, and the need for remedy so urgent, that I felt my only option left was to smash some crockery to get people to take notice.“In life one should try to stay inside the tent to win the arguments but ultimately there comes a breaking point.”On Mr Sunak’s response, the peer said: “I felt then that I’ve achieved something, my resignation was worth it. But not a zippo have we heard about how he will do it.”During Covid lockdowns, loans to companies from high street banks and other commercial lenders were given state-backed guarantees against default.But many were claimed by fraudulent shell companies that were suddenly registered in the UK.Lord Agnew added: “The Treasury kept saying ‘it’s up to the banks’, but when it’s billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money it is to do with them.“If we are going to attribute blame, 70 per cent goes to the Treasury mandarins. I pushed for more money to counter the fraud but was told it would have to wait another seven months until the spending review.”The former minister also warned about the damage to trust in politicians, saying: “It’s a huge problem.“My own personal view is that politicians would do much better being honest with voters and straight when things go wrong – rather than pretending everything is wonderful.”Asked about Boris Johnson’s position, Lord Agnew said: “For everyone’s sake and sanity we have to draw a line under ‘partygate’.“I don’t know the PM personally. I’ve never met him in person, only on Zoom or in a crowded room so I don’t want to feed the frenzy.” More

Tom Tugendhat has revealed he will run for the Conservative leadership if Boris Johnson is forced out of No 10, the first MP to put his name forward.The chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee – and veteran of the Iraq and Afghan wars – said he will “go for it”, if fellow Tories give him their backing to join the race.No other candidate has stepped forward, with the favourites Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss bound by cabinet collective responsibility – while Jeremy Hunt said it would “take a lot” to persuade him to challenge again.But Mr Tugendhat, a Tory centrist and fierce critic of Mr Johnson, said: “It’s one of those questions that I know some of my colleagues are coy about and I don’t understand why.“I don’t think you should be embarrassed to want to serve your country, I was very proud to serve my country. Of course I want to have an influence that helps to shape the country for the best.”Speaking to Times Radio, the MP for Tonbridge and Malling since 2015, said: “I think that it’s up to all of us to put ourselves forward.“And it’s up to the electorate – in the first case, parliamentary colleagues, and in the second case, the party – to choose.“Of course you should offer yourself if you think you can do it. You should talk to colleagues and see if you can get a group together. And if you can get a group together, you should go for it.”The comments come as the prime minister’s fate remains in the balance, although he has been given breathing space by the Met’s controversial decision to demand redactions of the partygate report.Mr Tugendhat made clear “there isn’t a vacancy at the moment”, adding: “I haven’t been canvassing support. I don’t know if I’d ever be able to get it. But, if you could, of course, you should have a go.”The MP is little-known outside Westminster, and has no ministerial experience, but is likely to present himself as a clean slate candidate, with cabinet ministers tainted by the Johnson scandals.He has frequently clashed with Mr Johnson in committee hearings, neither doing much to conceal their mutual dislike.“I’ve had ding dongs with Boris Johnson. Yeah, that’s true. The point about parliament is we’re here to challenge. Challenge is central to a good government,” Mr Tugendhat added.However, he has refused to join moderate Tories publicly calling for the prime minister to resign, arguing instead that “the fair thing to do is to wait and listen” to Sue Gray’s report.Asked if he is among MPs who have written letters demanding a no-confidence vote in Mr Johnson’s leadership, he declined to give a direct answer, saying: “Some people have decided to do that.” More

MPs spent nearly £100,000 on a temporary bonging mechanism for Big Ben so the bell could be sounded less than a dozen times during renovations, The Independent has learned.The striking mechanism, which was used on just 10 occasions at a cost of around £10,000 per bonging, was commissioned because MPs wanted the bell to ring at New Year and for Remembrance commemorations. The cost included “commissioning, out of hours attendance, set up and testing of the temporary mechanism”, with the bill running to a total of £96,000.The Elizabeth Tower, the official name for parliament’s clock tower which includes Big Ben, has been under renovation since 2017 and covered in scaffolding.The refurbishment programme, the most extensive in the tower’s history, is expected to be completed this year, with scaffolding already being removed from the building. “The approximate cost of commissioning, out of hours attendance, set up and testing of the temporary mechanism for all the occasions during the project when Big Ben has sounded is £96,000,” said Charles Walker, a senior Conservative MP who sits on the House of Commons Commission, in response to a written parliamentary question.”The overall contract value for the project includes all the costs of initial commissioning of the temporary mechanism used for this purpose and testing and operating it on each occasion it has been used since the project started in 2017. “The mechanism was used on 10 occasions, with Big Ben also being sounded several times in the run-up to each New Year’s Eve, as well as for testing in advance of each occasion that was marked.”Sir Charles said that arrangements were striking Big Ben “were coordinated round the planned works so as to minimise the impact on the project costs and to ensure there was no delay to the project”.He added that the temporary striking mechanism would be kept as a “contingency arrangement” to act as a backup in case something should go wrong with the main striking mechanism in future.The decision to build a temporary striking mechanism was taken in 2017 by the House of Commons Commission, which also cited that Big Ben needed to sound on Remembrance Sunday, Armistice Day and New Year’s Eve during the renovation project, even though the striking mechanism had been removed for refurbishment. The Commission reconfirmed the decision 2018, despite a campaign by some newspapers and politicians that Big Ben should “bong for Brexit” when Britain left the EU. However, the occasions were restricted “to allow the project team to schedule works around those occasions”.A House of Commons spokesperson said: “The temporary striking mechanism has been specially designed to ensure it fits within the unique constraints of the Elizabeth Tower, powering the hammer to strike Big Ben in the precise way needed to create its authentic sound. “Use of the mechanism on pre-planned occasions during the works represents significantly better value for money, compared to striking Big Ben on an ad-hoc basis at short notice. The cost of the mechanism is included within the overall budget for the Elizabeth Tower project. It will be retained by parliament as a back-up striking mechanism for the future.” More

Boris Johnson will hold a call with Russian president Vladimir Putin in the coming days in a last-ditch bid to persuade Moscow to “step back” from an invasion of Ukraine.The prime minister will also make a trip to the region in the coming days, The Independent understands, as he tries to ramp up a strategy of “deterrence” among Western allies.Mr Johnson is also expected to consider a series of options from the UK’s top military officials this weekend – including fresh troop deployments and further bolstering of Nato’s defences.A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “He will reiterate the need for Russia to step back and engage diplomatically when he speaks to president Putin this week.”No 10 added: “The prime minister is determined to accelerate diplomatic efforts and ramp up deterrence to avoid bloodshed in Europe.”Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday that he did not rule out a full-blown war with Russia, but accused the US and Western media of fuelling panic while there were “no tanks in the streets”.Mr Putin said the West has not met Moscow’s main security demands in the crisis over the former Soviet state – but he said that it was ready to keep talking, offering some hope that an attack is not imminent.The US, the UK and allies have not accepted any of Moscow’s demands, which include a call for Nato to promise it will never allow Ukraine to join its defensive alliance – categorically ruled out by the west.It comes as Russia’s foreign minister claimed foreign secretary Liz Truss had “agreed a date” to visit Moscow for talks within the next two weeks, amid high tensions with the Kremlin over the threat to Ukraine.Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that Ms Truss will visit in the next fortnight. “We have already agreed on the date – it’ll happen in the next two weeks” he said, according to Russian news agency Tass.Earlier this week defence secretary Ben Wallace admitted he is “not optimistic” that a Russian mobilisation into Ukraine can be stopped.However, he confirmed on Thursday that he is due to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu in Moscow soon to discuss the stand-off.The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is expected to set out plans to toughen the UK’s sanctions regime on Monday in a bid to target Russia’s financial interests.Top US officials have expressed “dismay and frustration” at the UK government’s failure to take tough-enough action against the flow of Russian money into London, The Times reported, citing diplomatic officials.A report from a think-tank close to Joe Biden’s administration this week warned the US will have to take the lead in countering “Russian kleptocrats” because the UK cannot do so.British officials are expected to attempt to apply further pressure on Russia at discussions at the United National Security Council in New York on Monday. More

Boris Johnson should resign in the wake of the Partygate scandal, an overwhelming majority of readers of The Independent have said.A readers’ poll found that around 90 per cent believe the prime minister should go after admitting to attending a gathering in the garden of Downing Street during the first lockdown in May 2020.The poll was launched two days after the prime minister apologised in the House of Commons for attending the gathering has been running for a fortnight.The question put to readers was: “Should Boris Johnson resign?” The options given were Yes, No and Not sure. Details of the Partygate revelations were given above.Of 891 respondents, 797 said Yes, giving a majority of 89.5 per cent.Since the poll launched details of more parties in Downing Street have emerged, including a birthday party for Mr Johnson during lockdown restrictions in June 2020.Scotland Yard has launched an investigation into several events in No 10 over potential breaches of coronavirus laws.Several Conservative MPs have joined opposition parties in calling for the prime minister to resign, with one former minister saying “a serving prime minister investigated by the police is a national embarrassment”. His cabinet has backed him and say questions over his position must wait until the publication of a report into party allegations by Sue Gray, a senior civil servant.Mr Johnson said he would publish Ms Gray’s report when it is completed and would make a statement to MPs about its contents.But key details of the report will be redacted as police have asked Ms Gray to remove key details of potential illegality – citing a need not to prejudice their investigation.The negative effect of party relevations on the public perception of the prime minister and his government have been reflected in severa polls since December, when details first came to light.Days before The Independent’s poll was launched, a separate Savanta ComRes poll found that two-thirds of voters thought Mr Johnson should resign. More

Police have been heavily criticised for ordering a Whitehall report on the Partygate scandal to be stripped of references to the most serious alleged Downing Street breaches of Covid lockdown rules before publication.A heavily censored version of Sue Gray’s report is set to be handed to Boris Johnson within days, after the senior civil servant decided not to wait until after the completion of a separate criminal inquiry by Metropolitan Police.Downing Street is likely to publish within hours and the prime minister will face MPs soon afterwards.But rebel Tories pushing for the PM’s removal fear that the last-minute police intervention will take the sting out of Ms Gray’s findings and persuade wavering MPs to hold back from submitting letters demanding a vote on his future.One former director of public prosecutions blasted the decision to demand redaction of the document as “disproportionate”, while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said it raised the spectre of an establishment “stitch-up” to save Mr Johnson.Veteran backbencher Sir Roger Gale, who was the first to declare he had submitted a letter of no confidence in Mr Johnson, described the situation as a “monumental cock-up”, arguing that Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick should not be able to “censor a factual civil service report”.Former chief prosecutor Nazir Afsal said it was “absolute nonsense” for the Met to claim that the contents of Ms Gray’s report could prejudice their inquiry if made public.And former director of public prosecutions Ken Macdonald said that, in a case involving relatively minor breaches likely to attract fixed penalty fines of £100, it was a “mistake” for police to interfere unless they had uncovered potential crimes of a more serious nature, such as the destruction or withholding of evidence.“To take the grave step of delaying a report which is going to shed public light on the subject matter of what may be a major public scandal, I think is undesirable and I think it may be a misjudgement,” said Lord Macdonald, now a crossbench peer. “If we are simply talking about lockdown breaches and fixed penalty notices, this move by the police seems to be disproportionate.”Scotland Yard last night denied delaying the report, saying the timing of its release “is a matter for the Cabinet Office.”It pledged to complete its investigation “promptly” after receiving “material” it requested from Ms Gray’s team.“My officers will now examine this material in detail to establish whether individuals attending the events in question may have breached the regulations,” said Commander Catherine Roper.The senior officer – who leads the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Command – said the force would conduct inquiries “without fear or favour” and would be writing to those identified by Ms Gray’s team “as having potentially breached these regulations”.The Independent understands that officers raised concerns in discussions with Ms Gray’s investigatory team that interviews with witnesses or suspects may be impacted by what they have seen in her report.They are worried that an effective investigation may be hampered if interviewees are aware of information held against them, including photos and documents, and of the evidence given by others involved.The police inquiry relates only to a restricted number of gatherings in No 10 and other government departments where the most “serious and flagrant” breaches of rules may have taken place.In a surprise announcement on Friday morning, the force said that “for the events the Met is investigating, we asked for minimal reference to be made in the Cabinet Office report”. Scotland Yard added that it was not asking for “limitations” on the report’s discussion of other events or for a delay in publication.The announcement threw the Gray inquiry into disarray, and after a day of emergency discussions it was decided to press ahead with a slimmed-down report with considerable content removed in line with the police request.No date has been fixed for the presentation of the report to Mr Johnson, but staff are working through the weekend to finalise it as quickly as possible. Sources said it would be handed over as soon as it is ready, with expectations in Westminster that release will come early next week.Publication of the report had already been derailed by Dame Cressida’s suprise announcement on Tuesday of a police probe. With many Tories saying they were waiting for Gray before submitting confidence letters, Westminster was braced for publication to push the total beyond the threshold of 54 needed to force a vote on Mr Johnson’s position, in which he would need the backing of 180 MPs to survive. News that the document will come out in severely truncated form has cast doubt on whether the trigger point will be reached this week.One firm opponent of Johnson’s continued leadership told The Independent: “If it doesn’t come out in full, I think some will put letters in, but others will say, ‘Let’s kick the can down the road and wait for the police’.”The developments came as a new YouGov poll suggested that, with a satisfaction rating of -52, Mr Johnson is now significantly less popular with voters than the Conservatives as a whole (-41), heightening MPs’ concerns that he will prove a drag on the party’s performance in the May local elections.And Johnson’s predecessor Theresa May broke her silence on the Partygate affair, telling the Maidenhead Advertiser she was “angry” over reports of lockdown-breaching parties in No 10, and adding: “Nobody is above the law… If there is evidence of deliberate or premeditated wrongdoing, I expect full accountability to follow.”One backbencher who wants to see Johnson replaced before the local elections told The Independent he feared that a redacted report would give wavering Tories “an excuse to wait before making a decision”.The backbencher said: “We could still get to 54 letters if some redacted version of Sue Gray report comes out. Her conclusions might be damning.“But we won’t know the full facts of what the prime minister has done. That’s the problem. So we may need to get the full, unredacted version, or wait for the end of the police investigation, to get to 180 MPs who would oppose him continuing.”Another Tory, who had been waiting for the Gray report before deciding whether to send a letter, said that the mood among wavering backbenchers had already “softened”.“Quite a lot of MPs are beginning to hope we can somehow move on,” said the backbencher. “It’s not Watergate. The chaotic s***show at No 10 will have to change – there needs to be clear-out. We all know that.“I’d like to see Sue Gray report in full. But I think the report, whatever it says, will not now be enough on its own to put me and others over the line. By the time the police finish, the mood could have changed even more. I’m getting a lot of emails saying, ‘I’m bored of hearing about this.’”Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “The government is paralysed because of the prime minister’s behaviour in Downing Street and the attempts of his cabinet to save his skin.“The Gray report must be published in full as soon as possible and the police have to get on with their investigation. But Britain faces huge challenges as we emerge from the pandemic and it is offensive that the government’s sole focus is on cleaning up after themselves.“The country deserves better. Boris Johnson is unfit for office and must resign.”Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “A stitch-up between the Met leadership and No 10 will damage our politics for generations and it looks like it is happening right in front of our eyes.”And the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford said: “No one will accept a Westminster cover-up. “If the UK government refuses to publish the full unredacted report it will prove, yet again, that Westminster is utterly corrupt and broken beyond repair. “It won’t save Boris Johnson’s skin. It will only add to the calls for him to go.” More